Adventures On the Polar Express
by FantasyWorld1
Summary: A young girl named Lily discovers the true meaning of Christmas while riding a magical train that promises to take her and others to the North Pole. Along with other children, she gets the adventure of a life time. And maybe the only way to see the magic, is to believe it."
1. Chapter 1

Every year, I waited for him to come, but he never came. Each Christmas, as a little girl, I would wait for Santa to arrive. I built many traps, yet somehow he always managed to escape them. And each Christmas, I got disappointed when I was given a note saying, _"Better luck next time, from Mr. C"_

I loved playing this little game of chase the Clause as a kid. However, when I turned twelve, I started to question his existence. During the twelve days before the big day, I always went to the library, grabbing each and every documentary of the history of Santa Clause I was able to find. But none of them had an answer. Even on the map, I couldn't find the location of the North Pole. And I was old enough to know that the Santa in the mall was fake.

Ever since my Mother died, Christmas was a very different feeling. My Father was Jewish, and couldn't keep the Christmas spirit without her, for she celebrated the holiday since she was a Christian. The Christmas Tree would be a reminder that she was always with us no matter what. But it just didn't feel the same. She wasn't right there with us, and always lit up the holiday season. Sure we had Grandma, but.. She always made us feel uncomfortable, and forced us to read a transcript of the Torah.

"Why don't you teach your kids the tradition of our culture?" Grandma would say, with a thick Yiddish accent.

"It is only fair to the kids that they can believe in whichever religion they prefer" my Father answered.

However, my little sister Veronica (we call her Vika), always loved Christmas, and getting presents from Santa. She was eight years old, and still believed in the legend about the fat jolly man. At age seven, I already had the feeling that it was logically impossible for one man to give Christmas to all the children who celebrated the holiday, _all_ around the world.

And like every child, I waited.

I woke up at exactly five minutes before midnight, hoping to hear the sound of Santa's sleigh.

Yet the only sound I heard was my breathing.

Until this one Christmas Eve, I was whisked away on a magical train.


	2. Chapter 2: Enter the Polar Express

I woke up earlier than expected, because I really couldn't fall asleep, and because there was also light in the hallway. My thoughts went flying in my head like a breezy tornado. It was half an hour until midnight, and reading was something that was definitely going to relax me. I was determined to stay awake until I heard the sound of sleigh bells.

What was a better distraction than reading every single one of my books on the North Pole and the legend of Saint Nick and Santa Clause on Christmas Eve? A lot of things, but it was Christmas. No matter how much I despised the holiday, I wanted to at least get a glimpse of what holiday spirit was like.

However, at the strike at 11:35 I heard something that sounded like… sleigh bells? _Sleigh bells?_ Even though I didn't believe in Santa Clause, I still wanted to catch him. Those sounds drove me mad, and they urged me to grab my flashlight and headed to the dining room.

I tiptoed down the stairs, and noticed my parents were sleeping, but then why did they leave the light on in the hallway. Sure Vika was scared what there was no light. I heard my Dad snoring all the way from his room, and I thought he woke up when he let out a really big one, causing me to drop my flashlight. It stumbled all way down the stairs, landing flat on the floor.

 _Phew,_ I whispered to myself. As I did, the noise of the sleigh bells got louder and louder. Yet as they did get louder, I was able to distinguish them from what sounded like… a train? A _TRAIN?_ There weren't even tracks near my house!

I ran to the dining room, where the door stood, and I shimmering light was flashing. There was an actual train lying right in front of my house! A man in a conductor's outfit was standing, observing my home. I put on my purple robe, which had my name engraved on it _Lily._ As soon as I walked out, I felt a gush of snow and wind on my face, and my hair was flying all over me. It was hard to see due to the snow, but the light the conductor was holding helped me keep everything together.

"All aboard!" The conductor shouted in a loud, booming voice.

"I'm right here" I told him plainly, and he looked down a few feet to see me.

"Ah, and you must be… Is this your name?" the man asked, holding up a chart with only my name on it. It read in bold letters: Lily.

"Yes, and I also have it engraved on my robe" I mentioned.

His facial expression turned from a series look to a lighter, more relaxed face. "I can see that, just wanted to make sure. Now, are you coming?" he asked.

I was confused, where did he want me to go, and why did he want me to go? Was I being shipped off to a late night boring school and my parents didn't notice?

"Is Miss Captain Obvious going aboard on the train?" the conductor man asked. He was starting to get annoying from that minute, as soon as he called me captain obvious, that was.

"Where are you going to take me? Do my parents know about this?"

The man looked at me in a nervous way and tightened his collar. "Well, they are notified, and… Where all the Christmas magic is made!" he exclaimed in a loud booming voice.

"Don't you mean the North Pole?" I asked, with slight sarcasm in my voice.

"Of course it's the north pole! If Miss Sarcasm decides to go on the train, then I leave you to do so" he commented, somewhat rudely. Why did he have to be all sarcastic? And I wasn't sarcastic before, so who was he to call Miss Sarcasm?

"I'll pass. I don't want to ruin the Christmas spirit with my sarcasm" I said, raising my eyebrow and folding my arms.

The conductor man looked a little disappointed, and said in a soft voice, "Alright, then. Off you go to bed, I assume your parents wouldn't want you to get a cold"

He turned his head around, and headed back to his train. I patiently waited for the train to start moving. However, as it did, a thought popped inside my head: what if I do go on the train? I'm sure it wouldn't be so bad… Besides, this train may not even be going to the North Pole!

"Wait!" I shouted, and started sprinting over the snow. "Please, stop!"

My yelling was no use at all, because the train went faster and faster. I should've gotten shoe instead


	3. Chapter 3: My Adventure Begins

I caught up to the train in time, but it was still a few feet away. I decided to make a really big jump, like the teachers forced me to in ballet classes I took when I was younger. I pressed my feet against the snow, and felt the heat powering my legs. _3…2…1!_ I jumped onto the holding bar! But my feet were still on the ground, so I had to pull myself up.

Almost tripping over a step, I finally reached what looked like to be passenger carts. There were other children as well, most younger than twelve. I decided to sit alone on the big red seat on my right, and I looked over at the window. Even though it was noisy, it felt so quiet because I sat all alone. That was until…

"Hey, you!" a boy with neatly combed blonde hair, blue eyes, and glasses shouted at me. It only sounded like he was shouting because he was near me.

"Yeah?" I said, looking up.

"Are you the new kid being picked up?" the weird blonde boy asked.

"Most likely" I answered.

That was when his eyes lit up. Did he not know anyone who spoke in a mature way? Or was he just going to say something naughty?

"Well… um, I'm Eddie" He said, letting out his hand for a shake, which I offered back.

"Lily" I told him. "Not so hard to remember"

Out of know where, that kid… I meant Eddie.. Blurted out something I thought was completely out of nowhere. "I like your hair"

I stared at him blankly, not knowing what to say. "Thank you?"

The Eddie boy smiled at me awkwardly a few times, before sitting own on his seat. Alarmed by the strange conversation, I moved across from where I sat, and didn't notice that a girl was there until she spoke to me.

"Do you need something?" said a kind, soft voice.

I turned around and noticed a young African girl my age, with braided pigtails and big brown eyes.

"Uh… Sorry, am I bothering you?" I asked. I really hoped I wasn't bothering her.

"I don't think so…" the girl quietly said. I grinned in response, hoping to make a normal friend.

"I'm Lily" I told her, letting out my hand.

"Holly" Holly replied politely, shaking it. After a few moments of silence, she spoke up out of nowhere, which made me jolt back a little.

"I was actually hoping someone would sit here, its hard sitting alone" Holly said abruptly.

"I sat here because of an awkward kid, who said he liked my hair" I told her.

Holly laughed at my little joke, and asked, "Why was it awkward? Wouldn't you like it if someone complimented you?" she questioned.

"Sure, but not out of nowhere" I explained to Holly. However, as I did, the train stopped at another house.

"Looks like we're picking up a new kid" Holly told me, and I anxiously waited. I wondered who the new kid was going to be like. All of the kids soon turned to the house, had a lot of Christmas decorations on it. The conductor stepped out of the train, and the image cleared to what seemed to be a young boy, maybe around my age.

"It's another boy!" That Eddie kid exclaimed.

Holly rolled her eye, and I thought she was rather annoyed of Eddie being a know it all, and that was exactly how I felt.

I noticed the boy shaking his head, and the conductor shrugged his shoulders. He turned around, and opened the train door. So the boy wasn't going to go on? I felt the same way too, and now I didn't really regret it as much. I decided to help him.

I ran to the window facing the boy and the house, crossing over to another seat. Even though I felt bad for leaving Holly alone, I wanted that kid to get on the train for some reason.

"Hey!" I yelled, and I saw the boy's face turn towards me.

"What?" he called back. He was starting to get pretty far away, so I had to keep things short.

"Get on the train!" I said my hands over the roof of my mouth.

"What?!" he repeated, quieter.

"Get on the train!"

It turned out that he didn't hear me. Sadly, I walked over my seat next to Holly, and she was pretty startled that I came back.

"What were you trying to do?" she asked.

"I wanted that boy to get on the train, but he" I stopped speaking once I heard a loud thump on the nearby staircase. I balanced my way over, because the train was moving really fast, and found the boy on his knees! Maybe it was I who convinced him, or something else. But eathier way I was glad he was able to make it.

"Let me help" I offered, reaching out my hand for him to grab.

A small smile creeped on his face as I pulled him aboard. However, he just left and sat down after I helped him, not even one thank you. Mph, he could have at least been grateful I didn't push him off…

Growling, I sat on my old seat next to Holly, and she curiously looked at the boy. He had short dark brown hair, and wore a blue robe similar to mine, and yellow pyjamas. Nothing interesting was featured hear, especially since he was very rude to me.

"Do you see that boy over there?" Holly asked me.

"Yes, the one who didn't say thank you to me once I helped him. I should have pulled him off the train" I muttered, and Holly heard me.

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Because he didn't say thank you, he wasn't being polite" I explained.

"Maybe he is upset and doesn't want to talk?" Holly suggested.

"He should have at least nodded in a way that said thank you" I informed her.

After a while, we started looking at him a few times. I at least tried to look normal, but Holly was being a little to welcoming. I noticed the boy was looking at her weirdly.

"Holly? Aren't you being a little too… smily?" I asked her.

"I am trying to be friendly. That boy looks so lonely, sitting alone in the compartment" Holly said, being sympathetic.

"I think he's okay" I told her, because from what he did to me, I didn't think he was going to make friends anytime soon.

"You should talk to him" Holly suggested.

"Why? I don't want to be friends with him, especially since he was rude to me" I said, folding my arms.

"Come on, he may not be that bad once you get to know him. My grandma always said never judge a book by its cover" Holly quoted.

"Wise Grandma. Okay, I'll do it. But if he turns out to be rude, I'm coming right back here"

I took a deep breath, and slowly walked up to the boy. He looked at me, and our eyes met. We stared so deep into each other's eyes that it became really awkward. Another breath and I made the decision. I wasn't going to go back now. I kept thinking, and thinking, and this was just ridiculous! He was just a boy! Why was I so nervous to speak to him?!

Alright, I promised myself. My adventure was about to begin.

"Hi," I said, loud and clear. The boy turned his head and stared at me a few seconds.


	4. Chapter 4: Making New Friends

"Hi" he replied, only quieter, and he started giving me this weird look, almost as if asking why I was here.

"Do you need anything?" he asked, his eyebrow raised.

I gulped. Did I really need anything, or did Holly just want me to talk to him? I turned around, and she nodded, smiling.

"Well, mind if I sit here? My friend needed some time by herself" I turned back to Holly, and she shrugged while nodding. Did that mean that was a good answer? I hoped so.

The boy looked at me awkwardly, in suspicion almost. "Uh… Sure" he managed to say. He scooted over for me to sit down, and I immediately felt uncomfortable. It was just so quiet and disturbing. The way he also looked at me in the corner of his eye made me feel uncomfortable. That was, until someone just had to say something.

"Hey you!" the Eddie kid said rather abruptly.

We both looked up and saw Eddie staring down at us. "What?" I asked, in unison as the boy said something else.

"Train. Do you know what kind of train it is?" Eddie repeated. I looked at him confused until I just recently remembered my Grandfather gave me a big book on trains as a kid. He was a transporter, actually. So he knew a lot about trains.

"Some sort of…." I paused, examining the structure of the train. Meanwhile, Holly replied to Eddie that it was a magic train. If it even was taking us to the North Pole, I knew it was a Baldwin something, something… Locomotive.

"Sure it's a magic train" I started, quoting Holly. "But it's a Baldwin blah blah blah Locomotive"

The new boy, and Holly laughed at my little joke, and Eddie looked at me in a disturbing way.

"Oh, I know it's a magic train" he replied, annoyed. "Actually, you were pretty close Lily. It's a Baldwin 2-8-4 S3-class steam locomotive built in 1931…" He rambled on and on about the train. Brunette haired boy looked at me and Holly, rolling his eyes at Eddie. I made a 'copycat' sign I used on my sister when she was talking too much. It basically was mocking her loudness and eventually got her frustrated.

"I'm Lily, by the way" I said, gesturing for the boy to shake my hand.

"I'm Chris" he replied. Finally, I was able to call him something other than the boy, or brunette haired boy, or some other weird name.

After a moment of silence, Chris turned to Holly. "Is this train really going to the North Pole?" he questioned. Chris turned to me, giving me a look that said, ' _her name is…?'_

"Holly" I acknowledged, and he repeated her name loud enough to hear.

She nodded, smiling in delight. "Yes, isn't it wonderful?" she asked.

"Well, only if you believe in that sort of thing" I mentioned. I looked at Chris, and he nodded, meaning that must have had a case of the Disbelievers, like me. And that was why I was here, to finally get a glimpse of what was the supposed North Pole.

"Why don't you believe?" Holly asked. This girl was really curious.

"Well, she was Christian. You know, you have to be Christian to celebrate Christmas. She died when I was little, and Christmas hasn't been the same really" I explained, looking down. I probably shouldn't have said it. Now they were going to feel sorry for me, but then again, I couldn't make up a reason, I just never tried to lie.

"I'm sorry about that. But doesn't your Dad celebrate Christmas?"

"No, he's Jewish and Jewish people celebrate-" I was about to continue, but I was interrupted by Mr. Know It All Boy.

"Hankkah" he concluded for me. "Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah, with the menorah and everything!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, thank you Mr. Know it all" I said, being sarcastic-on purpose. That was when Eddie rolled his eyes and sat back down on his seat, while the others laughed.

"Finally, someone mentions it" Chris exclaims, and Holly smiles in reply.

"Anyways, yeah. He never really knew how to celebrate Christmas" The area between us got quiet, until Chris spoke up.

"Sorry about your Mom" he said, and patted my shoulder. I nodded in reply. More silence kicked in until the kid yelled out from his seat.

"Hey, everyone!" he called out. "Look! Look out the windows! We're passing Macy's!" That kid was definitely the loudest on the train, guaranteed.

Almost immediately, all the kids looked out their windows, and stared at the beautiful lights and decorations. I stood near Chris who was gazing through the same window I was. I had my nose glued to the icy covered glass. The trees covered in lights were really beautiful, and made me feel all warm inside. But that mechanic Santa made me feel so weird. The mechanical wheel thingy in the back of the robotic Santa made me shake my head in laughter.

I turned to Chris. "Imagine if that was the real Santa Clause?"

He chuckled in response. "I suppose the jolly man wouldn't have been so jolly"

"Carrying those presents would have hurt his back"

I observed the other children, and they were much louder than Chris and I. All their cheers made me feel like I was missing out. I noticed him looking at me, observing how I was watching the children.

"You wish you were like them, huh?" he asked.

I didn't know what to say. Did I wish I was like them? Not having to worry about a thing, not knowing much about reality?

"By means of having fun, I guess so. But I am glad to have some sort of sense of what goes on around the world"

Those kids made believing seem so easy, yet for me it was so hard. I always knew that nothing could be proven without seeing it, and just believing it doesn't seem easy. Where was all the scientific proof? I could have argued with Eddie and the conductor all day, until I heard the conductor's footsteps getting louder.


End file.
